Washington Redskins: In defense of linebacker Mason Foster

Washington Redskins middle linebacker Mason Foster has come under fire multiple times for interactions with fans. That’s simply not fair though.

Although some fans of the Washington Redskins don’t seem to want to admit it, Mason Foster had a good year in 2018. The middle linebacker racked up a career-high 133 tackles (seventh in the NFL in 2018). He added a sack and two fumble recoveries, as well as two interceptions and four pass deflections.

Foster was 100 percent a vital part of an overall solid Washington defense. He could very well play a major role this season as well. With Reuben Foster and Montez Sweat joining an already young front seven, it will be up to Mason Foster and Ryan Kerrigan to be the veteran leaders of the group. There’s a reason he was a captain last season.

All that being said, Foster isn’t the most popular of players on the team when it comes to the fans on Twitter. This all stemmed from an Instagram direct message. A fan DMed Foster and “he” went on a profanity-laced tirade about the team and the fanbase.

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Foster claims it wasn’t him, saying that it was his cousin. Honestly, I’m inclined to believe him. No one’s stupid enough to not realize calling out the team they’re currently on wouldn’t go public. Foster’s shown a lot of love to the Redskins, and that just doesn’t seem to be in his character to say what he said. Either way, he apologized for the incident. Some fans don’t seem to care, though, and still use it against him.

Now he’s under fire again. Foster’s definitely one of the most active and interactive players on the Redskins roster. While this has helped endear him to some fans, it also presents a problem.

There are a lot of Twitter critics in the world.  With how often Foster interacts with fans, he’s also receiving a lot of hate. Sometimes it stems from them bashing his play. Other, times people hate on him literally just because he’s having fun on Twitter. Recently, he appeared to have enough and went back-and-forth with someone on Twitter.

I mean, at some point the constant unwarranted bashing will get to anyone right?.

Think about your time on social media (or just in life if you don’t use social media much). At some point, something someone said has gotten to you. You’ve reacted in a way you probably shouldn’t have because they said a certain trigger word or you were simply bored. Now imagine being an NFL player. You’ve got a much bigger audience and a much bigger target on your back. Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t insult you for no reason. That’s got to get tiring.

No, I’m not pretending like Mason Foster is a perfect human. I’m just trying to explain that’s he’s human. Don’t get mad at someone for occasionally getting upset at the hundreds of insults thrown at him a day.

Foster’s a great player on the field. By all accounts, he’s a great teammate as well. He’s got a fantastic relationship with a large portion of the fanbase as well. Just look at his Twitter. It’s not unusual to see Foster hooking fans up with tickets or a jersey, or apparently trying to start a beer pong tournament for charity.

Mason Foster is the Washington Redskins middle linebacker. He’s a flawed person just like everyone else. Let’s stop attacking him for every little thing just because he’s not London Fletcher on the field (seriously, who is though?).